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Construct
A Construct is an artificial being created not by mortal hands, but by collective mortal belief. Mechanism When word, or rumors, about a certain entity spread far enough, and if enough people believe in it, the collective belief of the mortals in the region shapes the normally ambient chaff, using it to create constructs, creatures matching the most prevalent beliefs about that fictitious creature. The amount of chaff spent in creating these entities varies according to several factors, such as perceived numbers, and perceived power. The greater either is, the larger the amount of chaff that is used to create it. These actions have resulted in the birth of myriads of constructs endemic to areas where they are most believed in. As a construct is created to match the specifications believed by those who live there, it becomes an inevitability that later generations of some classes of constructs will be capable of existing independently of chaff levels or belief. This is most prominent for the Lycans, who are believed to reproduce by either biting mortals and infecting them with a curse that transforms the mortal into another Lycan, or interbreeding with mortals to create hybrids. As a mortal is a natural creature that exists independently of chaff, to be infected by a Lycan's curse and transform into a Lycan means that he is no longer tied to chaff, as he already has an independent body. Instead, he feeds on fresh meat, as is part of his design. A hybrid Lycan, as it has a natural mortal component, is also similarly now grounded in solidarity. Types Dependents These are constructs, or classes of constructs, which due to their programmed nature, remain dependent on belief and chaff in order to exist. Dependent Gods Main article: Dependent God Artificial deities born from the collective belief of mortals. Due to their nature as deities, are the most powerful class of construct. Their existence, however, is fragile, as their power is directly proportional to the number of their followers. Additionally, when compared to 'true' or 'natural' gods, their power is pathetic. Ghosts Believed to be wandering souls of the dead. In fact, merely reshaped chaff that mimics the dead, even their memories, due to the fact that the people believe these ghosts to truly be the deceased. Thus, they are essentially chaff-based copies of a dead person's soul. Will haunt a certain place so long as enough people believe them to be haunting that place. Demons Believed to be dark and powerful spiritual entities that are capable of great destruction. Most demons are minor 'spirits' who at worst, possess people and cause them to perform malicious actions. These can be expelled by the average exorcist. The few demons who have gained enough power to become 'demon lords' are the principal enemies of the Dependent Gods, and can only be defeated by either them, or truly powerful exorcists, such as Brother Largo. Nevertheless, as with Dependent Gods, even the most powerful demon lord is no match for even the weakest of natural gods. Mythic Races Elves, dwarfs, faeries, giants, any sentient species that is not a naturally occurring life form. As knowledge progresses, and the many natural races make contact with each other, dispelling the myths on the existence of these fictitious races, belief in their existence falls, and these mythic species will eventually become extinct. This is a short, non-exhaustive list of some mythic races that were born from misconceptions due to sightings with no actual contact: * Dwarfs - born from human sightings of Dugree in the early ages. * Elves and Giants - born from Dugree sightings of humans in the early days. The race depended on the height of the sighted human. Cryptids The so-called 'monsters' that frequently prowl the lands. Beasts like dragons, grendels, basilisks, hydras, unicorns, etc. Originally great in number, the steady increase of monster hunters over the millennia, and thus the belief that their numbers are dwindling, has neutralized the original belief that created them. They are endangered species not because they are being hunted, but because the people believe that the hunting has made them endangered. Once people believe a certain species to be extinct, then it truly will be extinct, regardless of whether or not they have all been hunted down. Independents Constructs which due to either their programmed nature, or, because of being a natural creature simply altered by belief, will not, or do not, require belief and chaff to continue existing. Lycans Also known as Pseudo-Lukos. Based on the natural species known as the Lukype, individual violent members of that species were believed to be something else entirely. To be more precise, early encounters with hostile Lukype have caused people to believe, and thus create, the Lycan, through a great multitude of misconceptions. Though the majority of races are now well-aware that of the existence of the Lukype race, and thus no longer believe in the Lycan, the creatures continue to exist through the natural-born offspring created by their method of procreation, by either biting a person and thus infecting him with a curse, or interbreeding with females of some natural species, creating hybrids. Though identical to the Lukype in physiology for obvious reasons, Lycans do not possess the superior intellect and dexterity of their natural counterparts. Instead of using cunning and skill with superior weapons, the Lycans are governed by their ravenous instinct, and fight with fang and claw. Lycans subsist on a purely carnivorous diet, unlike the Lukype, who are omnivorous. They operate in packs led by an alpha-male, similar to actual wolves, as opposed to the Lukype and their clan-based, elder-led society. Sociologist Artorius Bacchus holds great disdain for the Lycan race, citing them as "... the physical embodiment of the paranoid xenophobia held by the Phrathian people of old, racism given form and life." The Undead Main Article: Undead Originally creatures dwelling in the realm of the ancient Alzachs Empire, who had become infected by Lilith during the Hundred Years' War. Due to rumors and the fears of those living near the Lilith Quarantine Zone, however, the undead have since mutated into far more frightening beasts than mere zombies. Vampires Parasitic monsters who live by sucking on blood and procreate by infecting mortals with a curse through a specific turning bite. The original vampires were rumored to have been aristocrats of the Alzachs Empire who drank the blood of game animals as a status symbol. As the stories evolved and exaggerated it to an all-out dependency on blood, the undead aristocrats developed the same tendency. The first vampires are now very few and far in between, due to their aristocratic tendencies getting the better of them and causing them to feud with one another using both vampiric and non-vampiric undead minions. The original vampires are the 'classiest' and most authoritative of the undead. Lord Robert's second-in-command, General Adille, has the greatest influence and strategic ability among them, and is thus hailed as the Vampire King. Category:Metaphysics Category:Beings